1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communications and more particularly relates to optimization of packet data communication over a wireless communications network.
2. Related Art
The phenomenal growth of the information technology industry and the Internet in particular, coupled with the consuming public's desire for timely information services, have created a need for a high performance wireless Internet technology. Trends such as PC-on-a-Chip, wireless-capable Personal Digital Assistants, Smart Phones and Auto PCs point to the availability of a large number of new data-capable devices, enabling consumers to communicate wirelessly anytime, anywhere. New technologies are being developed to support these devices by providing high speed wireless Internet services such as CDMA (“1x”, “IS-2000”, “IS-95B”, or “IS-95”), and 1xEV-DO, which is the data optimized “DO” evolution “EV” of the 1x technology.
1xEV-DO technology (“1xEV-DO,” “CDMA-DO,” “DO”, or “HDR”) is a high performance and cost effective wireless Internet solution for consumers and business professionals. It offers high speed, high capacity wireless Internet technology, which is compatible with CDMA networks and optimized for packet data services. 1xEV-DO offers a combination of high performance and economic benefits which is unprecedented in systems capable of portable, mobile, and fixed services. 1xEV-DO achieves this performance with minimal network and spectrum resources, providing a highly spectrally efficient technology.
1xEV-DO systems are designed to be highly interoperable with CDMA systems. Within a given wireless network, wireless (i.e., dual-mode) IS-95/1x and 1xEV-DO devices allow consumers to access voice or data services via an IS-95/1x frequency carrier, while receiving optimized data services through a 1xEV-DO frequency carrier. Wireless subscribers benefit from the excellent voice quality of IS-95/1x as well as the high performance data services and mobile flexibility of 1xEV-DO.
Furthermore, 1xEV-DO provides significant performance and economic benefits to wireless operators. The 1xEV-DO technology enables operators to offer advanced data services, make best use of their spectrum and network resources, and offer the highest performance packet data services significantly earlier than alternative technologies. Additionally, 1xEV-DO leverages existing hardware and software design, thus providing significant benefits to equipment manufacturers.
One of the key premises of 1xEV-DO is that voice and data services have significantly different requirements and there will be inefficiencies anytime the two services are combined. With that in mind, the 1xEV-DO design utilizes a frequency carrier separate from the CDMA system. In coverage areas where 1xEV-DO is not available, consumers may have access to data services through the CDMA frequency carrier. For example, wireless devices typically have a CDMA mode optimized for voice, and also providing medium data speeds, as well as a separate 1xEV-DO mode optimized for high capacity/high speed data and Internet access.
This dual-mode capability, however, causes a problem in wireless devices that have access to data services through both CDMA and 1xEV-DO at any given time. Because the 1xEV-DO mode is more efficient and optimized for high capacity/high speed data and Internet access, use of data services in the 1xEV-DO mode is preferred over the CDMA mode. The CDMA and 1xEV-DO channels are separate, and may not always be available at a given moment. Therefore, what is needed is a system and method that allows a wireless device to efficiently handle packet data communications using both the 1xEV-DO and CDMA modes.